Mixed Signals
by Darkfire75
Summary: SpaEng. Arthur and Antonio always meet at a certain café when Arthur is in Spain, but this time Antonio doesn't show.


_**Author's note:**__ I love this pair just as much as I love FrUk and USCan, so naturally I have to write sappy angsty fics for them too XD Enjoy~_

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Arthur tried not to let it show that he was excited. He'd gotten a text from Antonio, asking to meet up at the café they liked to frequent together whenever Arthur was in Spain. He had been waiting for ten minutes already and his tea remained untouched. He didn't want to start without Antonio. It was tradition.

Fifteen minutes passed by, and then twenty-five minutes. Arthur looked at his watch, then at his cell phone to check that he got the time right. He'd arrived at the café early, and although he knew Antonio had a habit of being late, he usually would show up at a reasonable time.

Something fell in the pit of his stomach. Arthur didn't want to acknowledge that Antonio had stood him up. The Spaniard wasn't like that. But…then where was he? He opened his phone to send a text message, hoping he'd get a reply that said Antonio was stuck in traffic.

He waited and waited but no reply came. Arthur felt a stab through his heart and took a deep, rattling breath. He'd been lied to. Antonio had tricked him and let him be fooled. He pressed his tongue against his teeth to stop his lower lip from trembling but that only resulted in making it hurt more. He felt his eyes watering and that's when Arthur knew he had to leave.

He stood up abruptly, slamming a tip down on the table with enough force to startle the other customers. He was out the door in seconds, noticing how heavy his feet felt as he walked down the sidewalk back to his hotel. He passed by dozens of couples on his way and nearly yelled at a few of them out of sheer humiliation and anger.

_It was stupid_, he thought, passing a gypsy on the street who muttered something about a palm reading. _Me and Antonio…what a bloody laugh. As if we'd be good together._ The more he told himself he was better off, the worse he felt. He had liked Antonio. The Spanish nation was a shining beacon in his life. But had all that love been one-sided? Arthur's throat constricted painfully as he tried to stop himself from crying.

His hotel was a few more blocks away but he didn't have the energy to go any farther. He saw a bench and quickly sat down, running his hands through his hair and taking deep breaths. "It's over then," he whispered. He felt his phone vibrating in his pocket and suddenly felt a spark of hope. He quickly looked at who was calling and felt a wave of relief overcome him. "Hello?"

_"Arthur, what was that text about?"_ Antonio was as blunt as ever. Arthur smiled fondly until he actually replayed the question in his head.

"The meeting."

_"What meeting?" _

"You sent me a text earlier today asking to meet at the café. Y-You never showed up…"

There was a long pause, until finally, _"Arthur, I never sent you any text." _

"What?" That was impossible. It had been from Antonio's number so it was obviously a text he had sent. "Of course you did."

_"I really didn't."_ He sounded sad. _"H-How long did you wait?"_

Arthur bit his lip. "Nearly thirty minutes."

Antonio swore in Spanish on the other end. _"Hang on, I think I know what happened."_ There was another long silence, followed by some garbled Spanish and a new, louder voice in the background. _"Cabrón,"_ Antonio hissed to the mystery person that was with him.

"Excuse me?" Arthur said, very confused suddenly.

_"Gilbert sent you that text from my phone, Arthur."_

Arthur blinked a few times. "I…He…What?"

There was an obnoxious laugh over the other end. _"Haha, sorry, Art!"_ Gilbert's voice echoed in his ear. _"Toni left his phone out and I saw your number in his contacts and I couldn't resist! I totally didn't know you guys were dating though."_

_"Idiota, I've told you we are,"_ Antonio growled to him.

_"Well __**I**__ don't remember that."_

Arthur felt the wave of relief settle on him. Antonio hadn't sent that message. He still wanted to be with Arthur. But now he had a reason to want to kill Gilbert. "Gilbert," he snarled. "The next time I see you, I am going to rip your balls off and make you eat them."

_"Ha! I liked to see you try, scheisskopf!" _

Arthur heard a distinct noise of someone being shoved away before Antonio spoke again. "_I'm really sorry, Arthur,"_ he said.

"No, it…it wasn't your fault."

_"…Did you think I stood you up?"_ he said softly.

The Brit stared down at his feet. "It crossed my mind…"

_"You know I wouldn't do that to you!"_

"I know that! I just…I didn't know where you were. And it hurt."

_"Where are you?" _

"Huh?"

_"__**Where**__ are you? I'll meet you there."_

"I'm on a bench a few blocks from the café…"

_"Stay right there!"_ The line went dead and Arthur blinked, staring at his phone. A few minutes later, Arthur caught sight of a familiar brunette running towards him and stood up, nearly being barreled over as Antonio leapt towards him with his arms open wide. He was taken into a rib-crushing hug and kissed on both his cheeks before Antonio pulled away, smiling gently, and kissed his mouth. "I hope you can forgive me," he said.

"Forgive you for what?" Arthur asked. "It's Gilbert who I can't forgive."

Antonio chuckled and hugged him again. "Want to go to the café?" He let his hand take hold of Arthur's, which made the Briton blush.

"I'd like that," he mumbled, grasping Antonio's hand tightly. The two of them started walking in the direction of the café, holding hands. Arthur suddenly leaned on his shoulder and smiled. _I love you, Antonio._

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**Translations:**

_Cabrón - asshole_  
_scheisskopf - shithead_


End file.
